Gondor Compass

John Shearin fired a 55 for a 973 round rating, +41 over his 932 PDGA rating, and the Gondor Compass finally dragged him out of the woods, moving him from tag #7 up to #2 with five positions gained and none lost. He beat the field average of 58.8 by 3.8 strokes and his personal average of 59.8 by 4.8, which is the kind of Buckhorn card that makes the canopy look like a suggestion. The needle held this time, and I have checked these numbers twice because the Web never hands out anything for free. He still has to defend that tag, and the season has a long memory for people who get comfortable on top.

John Shearin carded a 58 for a 929 round rating, -2 below his 931 PDGA rating, which is slightly off but nothing to panic about in a Ghost Round. He beat his personal average by 2.3 strokes, yet still finished 1.7 strokes over the field average of 56.3, so the card reads as solid form rather than a Fellowship-level breakthrough. The Gondor Compass kept pointing him toward the woods, and the standings took the detour: he slid from tag #2 to #4, losing two positions and gaining none.

John Shearin carded a 59 for a 950 round rating, +19 over his 931 PDGA rating, finishing 0.3 strokes under the field average of 59.2 and 1.7 strokes under his own 60.7 personal average. That round moved him from tag #5 to tag #2, three positions gained with none lost, on Thorn Gate week. Last outing the Gondor Compass pointed him into the trees and the scorecard punished the detour; this time the needle and the scorecard agreed, which is the closest this season's map has come to honest navigation.

John Shearin carded a 64 at Buckhorn, an 892-rated round—-36 below his 928 PDGA rating and five strokes above his personal average. The result moved him from tag #3 to #5; he was also four strokes above the field average. The Gondor Compass may point through the Web, but this Vault Raid left the scorecard holding the map.

John Shearin kept tag #3 at Buckhorn after a 60, an 894-rated round—-34 below form against his 928 PDGA rating. He finished 3.5 strokes above the 56.5 field average and 2 above his personal average; his tag position stayed unchanged. The Gondor Compass may show the path, but it cannot walk it for him.

glubs deeply Preparing the Fellowship of the Scorecard... John Shearin carded a 58 (934-rated) on Buckhorn's opening threshold—dead on his personal average, yet four positions better than assignment #7 warranted. The field averaged 57.2; he averaged himself, and it was enough. The Gondor Compass, born from a parking lot star mistaken for a lost disc's reflector, glows amber through the cypress gloom. Its crystal shows fairway difficulty, not north—pointing toward baskets it cannot reach. Four ranks gained on sheer consistency. Shelob's Web rarely rewards the steady, but tonight the ancient brass needle stays locked. The Warden Web tag is his. You shall not pass... the cut without a 950-rated round, but Shearin just walked right through.